Clarion-Ledger drops Southern Miss beat

[Blitz]

I am highly in favor of switching beats, every few years.
Probably every 2
But I can only give that opinion about papers the size of C-Ledger or Mobile Register or ones smaller than those.

With the larger papers, that system might not work. I've never worked at the humongous papers and the specific (college, NFL, NBA) beats may be better for the one, longtime beat writer or beat-team that covers them. I can't speak to that.

But at the next level down, switching beats I think is indeed healthy. It opens new avenues for new stories and angles and bush-beating. It allows coaching staffs and players to interact and express themselves to new storytellers.

Relocating people wouldn't be that big of an issue, I wouldn't think, especially when you are talking about the really, really small community dailies. Switch the beats occasionally, I say.

As long as nobody is having to take a pay cut or loss of "stature" among co-workers.

There's nothing worse than stale, predictable coverage. And it's indeed inevitable when someone has been on a beat too long.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Rusty,

What people really want to know, I'm thinking, is why you dumped a beat and an experienced reporter.

I think it's fair to say, and I can stand to be corrected on this, that the move wasn't Rusty's call. That has all the fingerprints of a move that was mandated from above.

 

[dwnsouth]

I would imagine that's true. And I'm sure there's no chance any C-L editor will go on the record here with their thoughts on the move, but it'd be interesting to hear them.

 

[Alma]

dwnsouth,

Oh, I'm sure not. Still - journalists ask, do they not, if only for the silence or corporate talk that ensues.

 

[Editude]

Previous stop, people kept beats for years, decades even, and while the familiarity helped with access, it made for some predictable coverage and unease at turning over too many rocks. It seems MLB is a beat that changes only when someone wants out; it's hard to get someone to take that unless he/she is up for it.

 

[Rockbottom]

First off, RB might not know a candy-ash if he saw one.

Hey!

rb

 

[slappy4428]

First off, RB might not know a candy-ash if he saw one.

Hey!

rb

He's got mirrors, doesn't he?

 

[dwnsouth]

BTW, for those interested - rather than jumping into unemployment, Tim Doherty moved back to Hattiesburg where he is now on the news side.

 

[HejiraHenry]

BTW, for those interested - rather than jumping into unemployment, Tim Doherty moved back to Hattiesburg where he is now on the news side.

I thought we knew that already.

 

[Southern sports writer]

While I can understand the financial implications with this plan, I don't think this breeds a healthy reporter mentality.
A lot of reporters love the idea of scooping the competition. And right now, Gannett is eliminating the competition and quite possibly the drive to do more when said reporter knows he's the only game in town, IMO.

I can understand where you're coming from. But I'm in a situation where I'm battling with a group of knuckleheads on a Web site on a regular basis. I contend with its daily dose of rumors and half-truths leaked from bottom feeders in the athletic department. So I do stay more than motivated to make message boards irrelevant and scoop them on a regular basis.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Wonder what would happen to this deal if Gannett sold Hattiesburg?

I have heard it could be on the block.

Others, in a position to know better than me, though, say they have not heard that.

 

[dwnsouth]

I haven't been plugged in there for a while, but one reason Gannett is unlikely to sell Hattiesburg is they use the printing press to print USA Today for a pretty large region (including, I believe, New Orleans) which also led to some odd printing times for the American (they used to be an "afternoon" paper that went to print at about 8 a.m., but I think they've gone to more of a morning schedule).
A rumor that used to pop up relatively often was that Gannett would cut out a lot of Hattiesburg's newsroom and use it more like a bureau of the C-L, which is sort of what happened with the Southern Miss beat.